Does anyone know why this building requires removing the PO Overlay district? This all around seems like a good project so if there's something in the PO guidelines that prevent this, then that's alarming.

I don't think there's anything in the plan that doesn't meet the PO guidelines. from the latest project doc -

"The site is currently zoned OR3 Institutional Office Residence District and C1 Neighborhood
Commercial District and is located in the DP Downtown Parking Overlay District and the PO
Pedestrian Oriented Overlay District (12 West 15th Street only). Since the properties are being
combined they need to have the same zoning classification. The applicant is proposing to rezone the
entire site to the OR3 Institutional Office Residence District and remove the PO Pedestrian Oriented
Overlay District."

^For sure, especially given the huge redevelopment sites on both sides of Nicollet south of 94.

I am a little torn about the old buildings. They house a lot of small minority-owned businesses, and several have been fixed up pretty recently. Kind of a shame to lose some of the last small commercial buildings on Nicollet downtown.